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Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends
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Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends

By SANDEMANs NEW Europe - Edinburgh
Recommended by 95% of travellers
This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher
The atmospheric city of Edinburgh is best explored by night, when tales of mystery and murder are at their most frightening. Discover the dark side of Scotland's capital on a historical walking tour that covers Edinburgh’s morbid past. Wind your way through the cobbled streets of Calton Hill, North Bridge, and Canongate cemetery, all of which are inaccessible by coach bus or car, and listen to stories that focus on torture, treason, and death.
from
S$35.23
per adult
from
S$35.23
per adult
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 20 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
German, English, Spanish
Highlights
  • Explore Edinburgh at its most atmospheric on a night tour 
  • Delve into the dark history of Scotland's capital 
  • See Edinburgh landmarks illuminated by night
  • Visit the Old Calton Burial Ground or Canongate Kirkyard cemetery
  • Professional guide
What's not included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Your evening tour begins at a designated meeting point in Edinburgh Old Town. Greet your guide and receive an introduction to the city’s dark history. Wind your way down the cobbled streets surrounding Calton Hill and North Bridge, beneath which lies the Blair Street Vaults. Discover tales of torture and treason interspersed with stories of pagan festivals and dramatic historical events. Get acquainted with the deceased residents of Canongate cemetery, and discover the truth behind the gruesome exploits of Burke and Hare, the notorious Edinburgh grave robbers. Your tour concludes on the Royal Mile.
Departure details
  • 130 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UK The tours starts at 130 High Street (The Royal Mile), on the corner with Stevenlaw's Close. Look for the guide with the SANDEMANs red name badge.
Return details
  • Returns to original departure point
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6785EDGHOST
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • The independent guides who employ us to market their tours have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 2 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group
  • We unfortunately do not advise guests in wheelchairs to join the Dark Side Tour, due to the narrow stairways and steep hills. We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment caused.
  • Most travellers can participate
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers
  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
A note from Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends
  • - Breaks will be shortended - Guests are encouraged to bring own masks - Guests will be required to provide personal details (name, phone) - Smaller groups to ensure appropriate social distance - Tour group picture will no longer be taken
What you can expect during your visit
  • Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
  • Face masks required for guides in public areas
Community
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  • Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
Which attractions will I visit with Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends?
During this experience, places you will visit include:Discover and book Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends on Tripadvisor
How much is Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends?
Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends price starts from S$34.97. Discover and book Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends on Tripadvisor
What is the Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends cancellation policy?
Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends on Tripadvisor
Which company provides Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends?
Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends is hosted by SANDEMANs NEW Europe - Edinburgh. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact SANDEMANs NEW Europe - Edinburgh on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends on Tripadvisor
If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6785EDGHOST
Itinerary
  • You'll start at
    130 High St
    130 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UK
    The tours starts at 130 High Street (The Royal Mile), on the corner with Stevenlaw's Close. Look for the guide with the SANDEMANs red name badge.
    See address & details
  • 1
    Royal Mile
    Stop: 10 minutes
    See details
  • 2
    North Bridge
    Stop: 30 minutes
    See details
  • 3
    Calton Hill
    Stop: 30 minutes
    See details
  • 4
    Old Calton Burial Ground
    Stop: 30 minutes
    See details
  • 5
    Canongate Kirk
    Stop: 30 minutes
    See details
    Pass by
    Edinburgh Old Town
  • You'll return to the starting point
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About the operator

Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator.

By: SANDEMANs NEW Europe - Edinburgh
24,733
Isabelle W
Isabelle W
00
Brilliant. Great guide Calum
Our guide Calum was absolutely brilliant. Tour was a full 2 hours. Very knowledgeable, funny and informative. Great…
eoghanoflainn
eoghanoflainn
00
Excellent walking tour with Alasdair
The free walking tour was excellent and I highly recommend Alasdair (I hope I spelled that correctly) as your tour …
RuiAMGSilva
RuiAMGSilva
00
Aussie Aussie Aussie!
First off, a shout-out to the great Australian David, who braved a chilly afternoon in his kilt and gave us all a w…
hellohappyvegan
hellohappyvegan
00
Something fun to do in Edinburgh!
As a woman in my thirties, I wasn't sure what to expect from this Harry Potter Tour, but it was fun, educational, a…
FionaK1301
FionaK1301
00
Brilliant!
Our tour guide (Australian David) really nice guy, very knowledgeable and friendly. Tour was great, really informat…
Sophie S
Sophie S
00
Free Edinburgh tour- highly recommended
Thanks to Australian David for a fun and informative intro to Edinburgh's history! David was clearly very knowledge…
Traveler26337286148
Traveler26337286148
00
Great tour, good way to start off a visit
5 out of 5, Australian David was a brilliant guide, with good local knowledge a very interesting tour, it was a gre…
507vinniec
507vinniec
00
2hours that just fly by
Tour guide was brilliant! Really passionate about her job and you can tell she loves Edinburgh and telling it's his…
kar0linemathildeh
kar0linemathildeh
00
perfect!
Jen was the best guide!!!!! She was funny and extremely smart! Love from two danes! 10/10 stars would recommend!
anastasiadX4927KE
anastasiadX4927KE
00
Very interesting and fun tour
As a fan of Harry Potter, I enjoyed this tour a lot! Jen is an excellent guide, she told us so many interesting sto…
K3701UPmeganh
K3701UPmeganh
00
Amazing
Lovely and informative, lots of fun facts and a good mix of Harry Potter and Edinburgh history! Would definitely re…
danrSuffolk
danrSuffolk
00
Great tour with Australian David
We signed up for the Free Walking Tour, having been on free tours with Sandemans in Prague, Barcelona, Berlin, Lond…
frankiek2023
frankiek2023
00
Enticing!
The way Jen described the tales of Edinburgh was enthusiastic and fascinating! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Z9365LYdaniels
Z9365LYdaniels
00
Fantastic brilliant
This was a great experience.... I'm not a big potter fan and did it as my other half is a big pot head and loves it…
marissa F
marissa F
00
Great guide
Australian David was a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and friendly guide. The tour ran around an hour and hit th…
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
2,194 reviews
Excellent
1,945
Very good
155
Average
43
Poor
25
Terrible
26
Darcy P
1 contribution
Informative, interesting and fun!
Feb 2023
Our tour guide Ruaridh was brilliant - he struck the perfect balance between delivering interesting historical facts while also entertaining the crowd. I really felt that I learned so much about the history of Edinburgh, with a focus on the darker side of the city. It wasn't gimmicky or pantomimic, but rather educational, informative and fun! I had a really wonderful time and would absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in learning a little more about the beautiful city. Ruaridh was fantastic!
Written 6 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Leanne F
Sheffield, UK70 contributions
Spookily good!
We have only been on one other night-time walk so far, in London, so I was looking forward to this one. And it didn’t disappoint! Our tour guide, Fiona, was very engaging and enthusiastic. You could tell how much she loved to talk about the city and she was welcoming to all visitors. She was very informative and drew people in with her enthusiasm. We took a couple of walks through spooky graveyards and heard stories of witches, hangings and body snatchers. It also offers some beautiful views of Edinburgh, particularly at night time. We finished early as everyone arrived on time but I was sad for it to end, it was so interesting. Would highly recommend to anyone who wants to know the dark history of Edinburgh. I would recommend taking an umbrella or waterproof coat and sensible walking shoes for the event as Edinburgh has many cobbles and unpredictable weather!
Written 31 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Charan
West Bromwich, UK22 contributions
Super entertaining tour!
Jul 2022
We decided to do this tour on our first day of arriving in the city as a sort of fun introduction to Edinburgh and it's 'dark' side. We had lots of fun, exploring the city on foot whilst listening to Angus' masterful storytelling of its weird and whacky history which included tales of grave robbing, body snatching, serial killers and witch burning! My favourite part was probably when we visited David Hume's tomb at The Old Calton Burial Ground, so I'd highly recommend this tour for history buffs. Angus was super funny throughout the whole tour, and put us all at ease which is what made it the best walking tour I've ever been on. Thanks Angus!
Written 2 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Đặng Quỳnh Giang
1 contribution
Well-designed tour. Fantastic storyteller!
Nov 2022
I went on the Edinburgh's Dark Side tour with Sarah as our guide and it was an amazing experience! Sarah was a great host and a truly talented story-teller. She brought so much enthusiasm to a cold, windy Edinburgh night and drew people in with her stories. I am also very into her side remarks and dry humors and some jokes that other people did not get (or they got but just didn't laugh out loud like I did). I am inspired by Sarah's storytelling (truly) and the tour was definitely worth the price.
We visited many locations that I would not have visited on my own/known about on my own (the Canongate and the cemetaries), and the locations on the tour are definitely best visited at night with someone who knows the city and have legends to tell you about.
The tour was very well designed, but the story telling brought this tour to life. Thanks Sarah!
Written 10 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dugan M
Skowhegan, ME17 contributions
Excellent Stories Well Told
Mar 2023 • Couples
Our guide Alasdair really made this experience special. He had a way of keeping the entire group engaged while also making it feel like I was just hanging out with a good friend. Without being overly theatrical or dramatic, he exuded both the gravity and humor that these dark stories deserve. He added his own local's touch to make me feel like I was really getting an insider's view of the city. I really appreciated his collection of crazy stories and interesting spaces.
Written 10 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Joshua B
1 contribution
Informative and fun evening
Apr 2022 • Couples
Really good tour!
Our guide ( Australian Dave) was very friendly and really knew his stuff.
Made the tour very entertaining and showed us places that we otherwise wouldn't have seen.
Answered any questions we had and gave everyone time to take photos etc
Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to learn a bit of history on the darker side of Edinburgh while seeing some amazing views of the city.
Written 22 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Keriss E
1 contribution
Great experience
Nov 2021 • Couples
Angus our tour guide was funny, engaging and informative throughout the whole experience. Everyone on the tour was laughing and interested from families, to couple to groups of friends. Angus also took extra time to give us tips and recommendations for around the city, would really recommend
Written 9 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Travel_BugReading_UK
Reading, UK145 contributions
'Best Value for Money'
Aug 2021
Chose this trip because it offered more time for the money than other 'novelty' type walks. Best decision! Angus was just the person for the job: funny, a great storyteller and keen to know a little about his 'guests' so that he could avoid offending anyone with his witty, spontaneous humour [Angus explained that he is also a stand-up comedian]. He need not have worried. His delivery was fluent, knowledgeable and, at times, quite hilarious.
There was a lot to learn and the walk made us realise just how little we know about our cultural history [poets, philosophers] and just how informative a trip to a churchyard can be!
Plenty of opportunities to stop and rest and/or take photos. My only criticism would be that some of these groups are far too large to comfortably hear the commentary consistently, which is a real shame since the walk is packed with really insightful and informative material.
Would definitely do this again - but only if guaranteed either a smaller group size or an audio device.
Written 2 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Destination651085
Decatur, IL2 contributions
Great tour
Really a wonderful tour that goes through a lot of places that we would not have otherwise seen. Adam was an outstanding guide, who kept us interested in some of the darker history of the area. He truly deserves 5 stars for such a great tour, even during periods of fairly heavy rainfall
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Noelle0512
Dublin, Ireland59 contributions
Excellent tour and tour guide - great way to see Edinburgh!
Apr 2022
Eva was the perfect tour guide - everything you could want. She was funny, friendly & informative.
She has a great way with people and told the stories in a way that reached everyone on the tour - young and old.
Tour took us to places we had not already seen and gave us even more reasons to come back. There was no particular highlight as it was all great.
We left with a new list of things we wanted to see and do so will defiantly have to come back to Edinburgh soon!

Only small criticism was the directions to the meeting place - we could not find no 130 High Street and we spent some time trying. Maybe update the directions to outside Treacle restaurant.
Written 19 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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2023 Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends